WMTA Newsletter Printable Version - May 2019

The full color version of the newsletter is available to view on the WMTA website at wisconsinmusicteachers.com.

Additional details about the organization, upcoming events, and leadership contact information have been removed from the original document and can also be referenced on the website.

Calendar of Events · May 2019

Badger Keyboard

· June 7, 2019 Executive Board Meeting and Administrative Council in Waunakee, WI

· September 1, 2019 WMTA State Conference Exhibitor Registration Deadline

· September 25, 2019 WMTA State Conference Attendee Registration Deadline

· October 18-19, 2019 WMTA State Conference in Eau Claire, WI

Letter from the President

Dear WMTA Members,

I hope you all are having a wonderful spring. One of the highlights of my spring was attending the MTNA

conference in Spokane Washington. It was great to get to hear wonderful presentations, especially by our

Wisconsin members, hear finalists in the competitions, learn of what is going on throughout MTNA, and spend

time with fellow studio teachers from around the country. I know that it still eleven months away but I would

love for each of you to join me at the 2020 MTNA conference for the following reasons:

1) It is in Chicago. This is CLOSE! You can take car, train, public transit, or plane to attend this one from

Wisconsin.

2) Hear Anton Nel and the 2020 U.S. Chopin winner in recital.

3) Learn from innovative teachers from around the country. I always come back with ideas for every

student.

4) Spend time with your fellow members from Wisconsin. Conference is a great time to get to know

people better and as a state we will have dinner at least once together.

Start planning now to attend. I am aware that costs can be prohibitive, but now is the time to find roommates,

create a carpool, and start saving. I know that you will not regret the investment you are making to attend.

Sincerely,

Rachel Fritz, WMTA President

District Auditions

Thank you to ALL the WMTA teachers and their students that participated in the District Auditions this season.

I’d like to extend a special thank you to Emily Schultz for maintaining the repertoire database. I’d also like to

give my heartfelt thanks to all the District Chairs who have spent numerous hours to ensure that all ran as

smooth as possible in every district. We had a number of new DC’s this year and am excited to welcome more

new DC’s over the next few years. They really do want what is best for our students and their teachers. If you

are interested in serving as a DC in your area, please let your current DC or myself know!

Information for the 2020 auditions (dates, deadlines and locations) will be gathered over the summer and will

be posted on the WMTA website in the fall. My goal is to have all dates secured by October 1st.

Please be sure to submit your WMTA dues when you receive your renewal notice this spring. This will ensure

a smooth transition to next year’s audition season. Renewals must be recorded by WMTA no later than

October 15 in order to enter students in the 2020 auditions. So, please pay early.

As you look ahead to the 2020 auditions, please remember that teachers who enter students in the WMTA

auditions are required to work as a volunteer the entire day at the auditions. Just put your audition date in

your calendar and enjoy the day serving our students!

Best wishes to all teachers and their students that will be participating in the upcoming Badger Competitions

that will be held across the state in May!

I hope to see everyone at the WMTA Conference in Eau Claire (my hometown) this fall! I’d love to meet many

of you!

Sandra Statz, NCTM, WMTA District Auditions Chair Sandra@statzmusic.com

2019 State Conference We have been working on the conference line-up and I am excited to have what looks like a very exciting

conference which will hopefully encourage and inspire lots of discussion. Also, if you or somebody you know is

interested in exhibiting during the Conference this year, you can reference further information and the

registration form online or on pages 14-15 of this newsletter.

I am looking forward to seeing you all there!

Session Lineup

· Carolyn True—Featured Artist

· Tricia Marton—The 80% and Above Club: Demystifying Music Theory for Students

· Jessica Johnson—Artistic Pedaling Techniques for the Developing Pianist

· Dr. Ivan Konev—Stanislavsky Method and Concert Preparation

· Lisa Bastien—The Bastien Family: A Tribute to Jane and Jim Bastien

· Janet Tschida—Pedagogy 3-Ps: Prepare Present Practice

· Janet Tschida—Rhythmic Revolution

· Justin Krueger—Smartphones, Tablets, and Chocolate Cake

· William Whipple—Multi-dimensional Teaching: Are you "Prepared to change your "Vision" about student

learning?

· Adam Shelton—Creating Safe Spaces in our Teaching Studios

· Vanessa Cornett-Murtada—Nailing Jell-O to a Tree: Centering the Distracted Musician

· Sandra Statz—Making Sense of District Auditions

Kayme Henkel, NCTM

Vice President - Conferences

Badger Vocal/Instrumental

The Badger Vocal/Instrumental State is right around the corner. We have the following registrations: 21 Vocal

student, 15 String students, 3 Woodwinds and a Brass registration. Our adjudicators are Amy Hartsough

(Vocal), Rena Blazek (String), Woodwind/Brass (Gabriela Ruiz). We're looking forward to the big day!

Dates:

UW-Whitewater May 11th. Performances will be in the Greenhill Center of the Arts, 950 W. Main St.,

Whitewater, WI 53190. Directions: http://www.uww.edu/campus-info/map-and-directions

Opala Bilhorn

opalas.music.studio@gmail.com / 262-745-1063

Commissioned Composer Madison-based composer Nolan Veldey will be the WMTA Commissioned Composer for 2019. His new piece

for solo piano will be premiered by Michael Mizrahi at the annual conference in Eau Claire in October. Nolan

Veldey received his B.Mus. in theory and composition from Lawrence University in 2013, and his M.M. in

composition from the University of Maryland. His composition teachers have included Mark Wilson, Joanne

Metcalf, Asha Srinivasan, and Giovanni Verrando. He frequently composes for piano, and often incorporates

elements of improvisation in his music.

Nolan’s music has been described as having "exceptional artistry, imagination and skill," and "consistently

connecting with audiences." His recent projects have included a song cycle using text from Edgar Lee

Masters’ Spoon River Anthology, a commission for the Levels Quintet, and a string quartet, which was read by

the JACK Quartet in February, 2017.

2018 commissioned composer Yvonne Wu will have her WMTA-commissioned piece Threaded

Spaces featured at the Festival of New American Music in Sacramento, California in November 2019.

Michael Mizrahi

IMTF Article

IMTF is looking for one more submission for 2019. Please contact Mickey Lytle at

musicbymickey@gmail.com if you would like to submit an article or have a recommendation. Thank you!

Using Portable Video Recorders with Built-in Professional-quality

Microphones to Boost Artistry in Your Studio

As musicians, it is hard to deny that we need another set of eyes and ears to prepare for performances.

Whether you are recording a video for your students or conducting Skype lessons, it is beneficial to have

proper recording equipment. With booming web platforms such as YouTube, it has now become easy to

upload and share video files with students and their parents. With a little bit of effort to get to know what is

available, we can stay up to date and connect more easily with the younger generation.

However, choosing the best device for the studio is not an easy task, with so many devices on the market with

different features. To simplify matters, I will introduce several professional portable video recording devices

on the market with built-in studio-quality microphones that are easy to use. These video recorders are

affordable and do not require a computer mixing program. Having some knowledge of basic recording

principles that create a professional video will save us the expense of hiring a recording engineer. These

recorders are, by the way, different from camcorders that do not have professional microphones attached.

Advantages of using portable video recording devices:

Some people might prefer using their smartphones and attach extra microphones. However, when you use

your computer for playback, you will realize the screen does not fit in the computer or TV monitor. It will still

have the phone screen-shape making it appear as if you are looking at a phone screen. On top of that,

portable recorders have quite a few advantages over smartphones, including higher quality built-in

microphones and longer battery life with exchangeable SD cards to expand capacity on demand.

The Manufacturers “Sony” and “Olympus” used to make video recorders with high-quality microphones, but

several years ago they discontinued making those cameras. On the other hand, the audio recorder company

Zoom started incorporating cameras into their audio recorders about ten years ago, and now they are

dominating this market.

Zoom Q2n. Price $150

Zoom Q4n. Price $250

Zoom Q8. Price $350

They have a 130°-160° wide-angle lens, which means that, given a particular camera position, the recorded

scene looks further away than it otherwise would. For recording piano performances, which do not need a

wide angle, the camera needs to be as close as 3 to 6 feet away or it will not capture the finger movements or

delicate nuance of the sound. Q2n requires two AA Batteries and the other two devices have re-chargable

batteries. Running time is about 1-2 hours, but with the power jack hooked to a usb port in a computer or a

portable external battery, it can run longer.

As the model number goes up the quality of video and audio improves significantly. Many of my students who

tried Zoom Q8 were impressed by its ease of use and the sound quality of recordings. However, the video

image does not seem as vivid. Personally, the exceedingly good sound quality and the ease of use outweighs

its diminished video quality, especially if you consider how complicated it is to set up separate microphones

and do the mixing work afterwards with a computer program.

General tips for using portable video recorders (The most frequently asked questions):

Set the audio recording levels correctly. All high-quality audio recorders have settings for the recording

(microphone input) level. In order to get the best quality from each device, it is important to set this level

correctly. If it is set a bit too low, then the microphone will not be able to pick up ambient resonance. On the

other hand, if the recording level is too high then digital distortion noise will occur due to the increased

sensitivity of the microphone when exposed to high sound pressure. You might have seen a recording

engineer ask a performer to play the loudest part during a sound check. This is to check the input signal peak

which needs to be between -12db and -6db. This is where the microphone remains sensitive enough to

capture ambient color but digital distortion noise is avoided.

Find the right place to put the video camera. Most video recorders with professional quality microphones do

not offer the best video recording quality. If one attempts to use the “Zoom-in” feature found on these

cameras, the video quality deteriorates. Therefore, it is best to put the camera close to the instrument, which

also helps the attached microphone pick up the sound in greater detail, with less noise.

Using imovie to combine files into complete performances. All video recording devices automatically record

videos in short segments. Many people think that there is something wrong with their devices when they see

multiple clips, since they would naturally expect to see one complete file. This is because the devices have a

default file system called FAT32 which automatically divides files after they reach a size of 4 GB. (A file system

provides a way of organizing a drive, specifying how data is stored there.) This can be fixed, either by using

your computer to format the SD memory card with a file system called exFAT or by combining the files using

imovie or an equivalent program.

These devices provide a webcam mode so livestreaming and skype lessons are possible. Remember that these

are all portable and easy to carry in your bag. Music teachers who know how to utilize this recent technology

will be able to provide an opportunity for students to see and hear themselves play with greater clarity

through professional quality video and audio.

Kangwoo Jin completed his Bachelor of Music degree at Hanyang University in South Korea, and his Master's of

Music degree and Performer's Diploma at Indiana University, where he worked as an associate instructor of

piano. He is currently a DMA candidate in piano performance and pedagogy at UW-Madison, studying with

Christopher Taylor and Jessica Johnson. While at UW-Madison, Jin was awarded the prestigious Collins

fellowship and has won prizes in the concerto competition, Beethoven competition, and Shain Woodwind Duo

competition. He serves on the piano faculty at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and UW-Madison Division

of Continuing Studies.

WMTA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES

Teleconference

February 8, 2019 10:00am–12:00pm

Present: Rachel Fritz, Nicholas Phillips, Kayme Henkel, Drea Wagner, Sydney Alexander, Sandra Statz, Mickey

Lytle, Mary Anne Olvera, and Katie Butler.

Call to Order/Welcome: 10:02 AM

Adoption of Agenda Approval by Consensus.

Approval of Minutes Approval by Consensus.

Reports of Officers

President, Rachel Fritz – Fritz will be working through certification with Laurie Asch this summer as

part of an invitation she extended to all WMTA members. The position of Arts Advocacy

vacated by Drew Donica has been filled by Teresa Drews. Forums at the National level have

been changed to an all-digital format. This format allows for participation by those that are

unable to attend conferences. Thank you to Nick Phillips for all of his assistance through the

transition.

Immediate Past President, Nicholas Phillips, NCTM – No Report.

1st VP-Conference, Kayme Henkel, NCTM – The new Exhibitor form and policy information has

been created and will be posted online. Exhibitors will pay $50 for one exhibit table and $20 for

an additional table. Carolyn True from Trinity University has agreed to be the guest artist. She is

a versatile speaker and teacher who is willing to help where needed. Henkel has already

received proposal submissions and anybody with additional ideas for presenters or

presentations should contact her. The board also discussed current Conference fees, but tabled

the discussion until later in the meeting.

2nd VP-Membership, Drea Wagner, NCTM – As of December 31, 2018, WMTA membership stands

at 465. This is a 22% increase in the number of members compared to the same time last year,

due in part to the addition of the Madison local association and the new collegiate chapter at

Maranatha Baptist University. A 22% increase in membership is the 2nd highest increase among

all the state affiliates. With the new year, 6-month trial membership is available, and MTNA is

asking teachers to reach out to their associates and encourage them to take advantage of this

opportunity. Thank you to Arlyss Troge for her very thorough job as VP-Membership in the past.

Treasurer, Sydney Alexander – Income from membership dues and conference fees is $21,655.45

and expenses from conference, grants, and auditions is $33,573.61. The current balance is -

$11,918.16. The Checking account has $8,974.81, the money market account has $10,235.11

and the CD has $137,325.17. 1099’s were sent out to everybody.

Reports of Program Chairs

Arts Awareness and Advocacy, Teresa Drews – Not Present. No report.

Badger Keyboard Competition, Drew Donica – Not Present. Donica is working on securing and

confirming judges. Trophies were cheaper this year. Information about site dates, locations,

audition process, and volunteering were published in the February newsletter and updated on

the website

Badger Vocal/Instrumental Competition – Opala Bilhorn – Badger V/I 2019 will be held at UW-

Whitewater on Saturday, May 11. All of the information has been updated and is available to

review on the website.

College Faculty Representative, Jessica Johnson, NCTM – Not Present. If anyone has ideas for

collegiate or wellness conference sessions in either category please let Johnson know.

District Auditions, Sandra Statz, NCTM – All the information has been updated on the website. In

correction to a previous listing, March 30th is the audition date for River Falls.

Independent Music Teachers Forum, Mickey Lytle, NCTM – We received very positive feedback

from the 2018 IMTF newsletter articles and are now in search of others who would like to

submit articles for future newsletters. Please contact Lytle at musicbymickey@gmail.com with

ideas.

Local Associations, Mary Ann Olvera, NCTM – Local Association presidents met at the 2018 state

Conference and had a very productive meeting. Primary discourse revolved around positive

membership growth, retention, engagement of existing members, recruiting, and creating a

positive presence in the community.

Standing/Special Committees

Finance Committee, Sydney Alexander – No report.

Old Business

Media Chair, Action needed, Nicholas Phillips, NCTM – The board continued its discussion on

combining the Archivist and Technology Chair positions into one. The bylaws still need to be

adjusted to put this change officially in place. Change of bylaws will need to be placed in the

August newsletter to be voted on during the October Conference. Phillips will be working on a

draft for future review.

Financial Guide Update, Catherine Walby, NCTM – An update will be coming for review during the

summer board meetings.

Milwaukee Historical Society, Rachel Fritz – Fritz hasn’t been able to get a hold of anybody within

this organization so it has been determined to discontinue using their service.

Cash Awards/WMTA Composition Competition, Nicholas Phillips, NCTM – The board asked

teachers whose students regularly participate in this completion about the cash reward and

about what motivates their students to participate. Some limited information from members

on the call indicates students are motivated by the cash award as an exciting perk, but they

would probably still participate. Some students also played their composition for Conference

and thought it was an honor. The local area has provided limited grants so the travel isn’t a

burden. The finance committee hasn’t met yet to report on this so the issue so it will be

discussed again in June.

Conference Mailing Preferences, Katie Butler – Further discussion was made as a follow-up from

the October meeting regarding how to communicate with members about Conference. Many

ideas were shared for consideration. Phillips motioned to include an order form in the August

newsletter for those who don’t have email and only send a postcard to the membership instead

of a tri-fold mailer with printed order form. Seconded by Henkel. Motion carried unanimously.

New Business

Conference Fees, Kayme Henkel, NCTM – 2015 was the last time the Conference fee was

increased. The board discussed whether or not this is needs to be raised. This will likely need to

happen in the future due to constantly increasing Conference costs, but to encourage

participation in Eau Claire, it was determined this may not be the best year to raise rates.

2020 Foundation Fellow, Rachel Fritz – The fee this year is $1500 and the foundation has already

raised money towards that number. The upcoming Conference will be in Chicago so it would be

a great time to send a nominee. The board discussed current nominations.

State Piano Competition, Rachel Fritz, Sandra Statz, Drew Donica – Badger V/I is currently held at

one site, but the piano Badger competition is at three different sites. The idea of a true state

Piano Competition was discussed. The board members considered options with a state-wide

joint competition or a smaller competition with the top students from the three different sites.

Often the 11th and 12th grade students are combined at one site which could complicate that

idea. The board members will take some time to think about this idea for further discussion at

the June meeting.

MTNA State/Local/Teachers of the Year, Rachel Fritz –Around the middle of July MTNA puts out a

call for MTNA State Affiliate of the Year. Fritz has created application forms for these awards.

The board discussed if we want to nominate a state affiliate each year? MTNA regularly

changes how they process awards. It was determined to submit ourselves for the state or

submit a LA when we have a specific reason to do so during that year.

Announcements The summer Executive Board Meeting will be Friday, June 7tt, 2019 at 9:30am at the

Wisconsin Music Educator Association in Waunakee WI, with lunch meetings at noon followed by

the Administrative council meeting from 1:30 to 3:30. The deadline for reports will be June 1st.

Adjournment 11:18am.